Flashlight testing device



J. .1. MccoY El AL. FLASH LIGHT TESTING DEVICE May 9, 1939;

Filed Aug. 28, 1955 Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLASHLIGHT TESTING DEVICE Application August 28, 1935, Serial No. 38,196

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a flashlight, and particularly to a flashlight constructed and arranged to form a testing device. Electrical operators working for companies which furnish current to subscribers are frequently sent out to replace fuses which have been blown, or to test circuits. It frequently happens that a fuse has been blown due to a short circuit in some piece of electrical apparatus such as a lamp, electric iron, vacuum cleaner. etc., or there may be a short circuit in some one of the electrical sockets. The fuse box is often in the basement or on another floor than the room or apartment in which the electrical apparatus or sockets are located. The operator may blow several fuses before he finds just where the trouble is and each time he has to go back to the fuse box to put in a new fuse. Such operators practically always have a flashlight with them,

It is an object of this invention to provide a flashlight structure by means of which the operator will be able to easily and quickly determine where the short circuit or trouble is that has caused the blowing of the fuse.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a flashlight which will operate as usual but which has thereon a socket with exteriorly exposed recesses adapted to receive the prongs or blades of a standard electrical plug, said socket being so arranged that when a plug having conductors thereon is inserted therein and a connection is made between said conductors, the flashlight lamp will be illuminated.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph. together with a pair of lamps carried by said flashlight, which lamps are of much higher voltage than that of the flashlight, the same being connected in series and being also connected to a pair of testing sockets exteriorly exposed on the flashlight.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 is a partial view similar to Fig. l with some parts broken away and others shown in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 as indicated by the arrows, a standard socket with conductors thereon being shown in position to be inserted in the device;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the device;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4 as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, a flashlight of well known and standard form is illustrated comprising a cylindrical casing l0 formed at its rear end with threads Hla on which is screwed a closing cap H. Casing i0 is also provided with threads Hlb at its forward end on which is screwed a front cap Ila. Front cap Ila is open at the front and adapted to hold in place a lens l2. A reflector I3 is disposed in the front of casing ill and extends to and surrounds at its rear end the sleeve portion of a lamp bulb M. A metal socket member I5 is disposed in the rear of reflector [3 adapted to receive the sleeve portion of lamp M. Said socket member I5 is held in place and carried by a disk N5 of insulating material held against a shoulder I00 in casing l6 bya split resilient wire ring or washer l'l adapted to fit in a substantially semi-cylindrical groove loci in casing 10. One or more batteries it are contained in casing II] and held therein by the rear cap H. As in the usual flashlight construction one pole or terminal lBa of the battery is in engagement with the tip contact of the socket l5. The other pole or side of the battery is connected to the casing H] in some suitable manner as by having a member on the cap H engage the end of the battery. A switch contact member I9 is in engagement with the side of socket member l5 and extends to a switch 213 having a movable contact in engagement with casing Ill and adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with member It by a sliding button or finger piece 2 I.

The construction so far described is a common and usual one in a flashlight. When switch is in closed position a circuit is closed from pole 18a of the battery through the lamp to socket l5, from socket l5 through member I9, through the switch and to the casing l0 and thence to the other pole or side of the battery. At this time the lamp I4 is illuminated. When switch 20 is in open position lamp I4 is extinguished. At this time button 2| is in its rearmost position.

In accordance with the present invention an electrical socket member is provided comprising a block 22 of insulating material engaging the outer side of easing Ill and having lugs 22a which are secured to casing H! by the headed and nutted bolts 23 extending therethrough.

Block 22 has a pair of exteriorly exposed recesses 22b adapted to receive the blades or prongs 24a of a standard electrical plug 24. Plug 24 is shown as having the usual pair of conductors 25 which are secured to and in electrical cohtact respectively with blades 2411. One recess 22b has a contact member 26 therein and in position to be engaged by one of the blades 24a, said contact member having a strip of metal secured thereto extending partially around and in contact with casing l0 and held in engagement with casing ID by one of the screws 23. The other recess 22b has a contact member 21 therein also so disposed as to be engaged by one of the blades 24a and member 21 has a strip of metal 21a secured thereto which extends into casing l0 and engages one side of socket member l5. It will be noted that the bolt 23, other than the one holding the extension from contact 26, is insulated from casing ID by pieces of insulating material 23 disposed at either side of said casing.

Another casing 30 is disposed at the outer side of casing 13 and has pairs of lugs 30a at each end secured to casing ill by the headed and nutted screws 31. Said casing 30 has a pair of lamps 32 and 33 disposed therein, said lamps being of elongatedfonn and having the sleeve or socket port-ions 32a and 33a. Casing 30 also has in its end adjacent the rear of the flashlight a pair of socket members 34 and adapted to receive the terminals of a testing cord, said sockets having cylindrical recesses therein. Socket member 34 has a conductor 38 connected thereto which extends to one terminal of lamp 32. Another conductor 31 extends from the other terminal of lamp 32 to one terminal of lamp 33. Another conductor 33 extends from the other terminal of lamp 33 to socket member 35. It will be seen that lamps 32 and 33 are connected in series and connected to sockets 34 and 35 by the conductors 36, 37 and 38. Casing 30 has openings 38b and 3lc in its top through which lamps 32 and 33 are respectively visible.

In operation, when an operator wishes to test a piece of electrical apparatus to see if it contains a closed or short circuit, he will insert the plug attached to the apparatus into the recesses 22b. The switch 20 will at this time be in open position. If there is a closed or short circuit in the apparatus, a circuit will be closed through lamp II and said lamp will be illuminated. Said circuit will extend from the blades of the plug and the conductors which are in engagement due to the short circuit, to contact member 26, to casing l0, through said casing to one pole of the battery, through pole l 8a of the battery to the tip contact of socket l5, through the lamp to the shell of socket l5, through contact member 21 to the other blade 24a. The operator can thus test the different pieces of apparatus which are used in the room or apartment to see which one has a short circuit and which one is causing the fuse to blow. When the piece of apparatus is discovered it can be repaired and the fuse can then be replaced. Successive trips to the fuse box are thus unnecessary. The device can also be used to test the usual lamp socket. When this is done a plug having blades such as the blades Ma at one end and having a screw socket at its other end, is used. The plug is placed in position with its blades in recesses 22b and is then screwed into the lamp socket. If there is a short circuit in the lamp socket, lamp H will be illuminated.

It will thus be seen that short circuits can readily be detected by the use of the device.

The operator frequently wishes to test a circuit such as that in a lamp socket to see if current is supplied thereto. Such operators are usually provided with a testing cord which comprises a pair of conductors having pin or cylindrical contacts at the ends. One pair of these will be inserted in the sockets 34 and 35 respectively and the contacts at the other ends of the cords can then be placed on opposite sides of the circuit to be tested. If a lamp socket is being tested the contacts will be placed in engagement with the sleeve and tip of the socket respectively. If current is present the lamps 32 and 33 will be illuminated. Two 110 volt lamps are used so that both 110 and 220 volt circuits can be tested.

From the above description it is seen that applicants have provided a device which will have a high degree or utility in use for electrical operators. Much labor will be saved by the use of the device and circuits can be easily and quickly tested by the use thereof. The device is simple in construction and of only slightly greater size than the ordinary flashlight. Practically every electrical operator carries a flashlight and he will thus have a combination tool which is extremely useful. The testing device comprising lamps 32 and '33 being carried on the flashlight casing is also a great convenience. The operator really has -two testing devices in one. The device is simple and can be made at a small increase in expense over the ordinary flashlight. The same has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successful and eflicien't.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A receptacle construction for a flashlight having a cylindrical casing and a lamp socket of much smaller diameter disposed centrally therein comprising a member of insulating material extending partially around said casing and having a surface conforming to and engaging the cylindrical exterior surface thereof,- spaced means securing said member to said casing, said member having an outer face with spaced slots extending therefrom into said member and adapted to receive the prongs of a standard electrical plug, a metallic strip disposed in said member and extending through. one of said slots and casing to and engaging the side of said lamp. socket, said strip being arranged to be engaged by one of said prongs and thus forming a contact for said prong and a connection to said lamp socket, a second metallic strip extending through the other of said slots and engaging said casing, the same forming a contact for the other prong of said plug. I

2. A receptacle construction for a flashlight having a cylindrical casing and a lamp socket of much smaller diameter disposed centrally therein at one end thereof comprising a block of insulating material of narrow width extending transversely of said casing and in transverse alignment with said lamp socket, said block extending partially around said casing and having a semi-cylindrical surface conforming to and engaging the exterior surface of said casing, said block having flanges at either side of reduced thickness, spaced screws extending through said flanges into said casing and securing said block thereto; said block having an outer surface with spaced slots extending therefrom into said block and adapted to receive the prongs of a standard electrical plug, a metallic strip secured at one end in said block adjacent one of said slots and extending through and along one side of said slot and into said casing and engaging the side of said lamp socket, said strip thus forming a contact for one prong of said plugand a connection to said lamp socket, a second metallic strip having a portion extending along the side of said other slot and having a portion disposed between said block and casing in engagement with the latter and secured thereto by one of said screws, the same forming both a contact for the other prong of said plug and a connection to said casing.

JOHN J. McCOY.

KARL G. GERDIN. 

